What the Internship Office does…
The Internship Office facilitates an extensive range of internships that are reserved exclusively for Oxford students (undergraduates and postgraduates). It liaises with organisations to make these happen, makes them available for students to apply to, and then passes applications on to the host.
The Internship Office also offers dedicated support sessions to undergraduate and postgraduate students who want help writing internship applications for our programmes.
In addition to the guidance on this page, please refer to our page on practical advice on work experience abroad for further guidance on how to prepare for an international internship placement.
The Internship Office aims to make opportunities equally available to all current, matriculated Oxford students, regardless of race, gender or degree of disability. This policy is in accordance with the Careers Service mission statement, and the University’s Integrated Equal Opportunities Policy.
For more information on the Internship Office’s work, including details on how to keep updated with the opportunities we provide each term, please visit the Internship Office webpage.
…and what the Internship Office does not do
The Internship Office cannot advise students on which internships they should apply for.
While the Internship Office sources and advertises internship opportunities, it cannot take responsibility for researching and making the arrangements necessary for successful applicants to undertake their internships. This includes, but is not restricted to, the arrangement of visas, accommodation and travel.
Students must also take full responsibility for making sure they follow Foreign Office Guidance (for international internships) and that they satisfy themselves that the internships to which they apply are suitable for their needs in terms of content and environment.
Managing contact with internship hosts
Candidates for our internship programmes must take responsibility for communicating with internship hosts. We expect all applicants to manage this contact effectively and professionally, in order to maintain the good relationships between the Internship Office and its internship partners. To this end, it is important that you:
BE AVAILABLE
Know when to expect to hear back from the host, and check your emails regularly (including your junk and spam folders, in case any email is accidentally diverted). You should respond promptly to any contact made.
BE COMMUNICATIVE
Keep the host organisation informed. For example, if you arrange to meet or talk with an organisation and subsequently find that you will be unable to meet your commitment, you must notify them straight away in order to apologise and to try and arrange an alternative time.
BE PROFESSIONAL
It is imperative that you do everything you can to honour any commitments that you make with the host, for example attending an interview or responding to an offer. It is unprofessional and unacceptable to pull out of an internship unless there are exceptional, unforeseen circumstances that compel you to do so. Remember that you are representing the University of Oxford and the Internship Office as well as yourself in your conduct, even at this stage.
Please note that if you fail to conduct yourself in a professional manner when managing your internship application, you can harm the Internship Office’s partnership with the host organisation and jeopardise future opportunities. Please be mindful of this when managing your contact with our partners. We appreciate your help and understanding on this point.